Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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self-serve deli meat slicer

why stop at self-serve checkout lanes?
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to get served in a timely fashion, i have to lurk about the deli counter post-10pm. what i'd like is a self-serve counter with a slicer that would have the most popular meats and cheeses at the ready for a blade moving back and forth on a bar. the chosen food item would be lowered into the blade's path; it would slice to your instructions (amount and slice thickness), drop into a sealable bag, and tag with an adhesive sticker indicating the charge.
guarded, Sep 27 2002


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       Supermarkets are evil anyway. They take away from your local family butcher, baker, and candlestick maker, and thus cause businesses to shut down, and discourage new businesses form starting up. This can only be bad for the economy.
[ sctld ], Sep 27 2002
  

       i don't have a local butcher (save a questionable man serving haggis and other such meat products). i *did* consider that this is yet another idea that removes a service job (albeit low-paying and dangerous) from the job market. but wait! what if it encouraged businesses to start up?! what if this addition started a flurry of self-serve businesses? they would all need to have space fitted (construction work), be monitored (service jobs), and be audited (accounting jobs). am i deluding myself?
guarded, Sep 27 2002
  

       I prefer the local family run stores as well (unfortunately there are very few around) but, at "post-10pm" most "local family butcher,baker, and candlestick maker" types are not available for you to purchase from, self-serve or otherwise. Maybe this self-serve technology could assist the small operations in competing with stores that have longer hours.
half, Sep 27 2002
  

       I don't think I'll be eating any meat handled by the general public, thank you just the same.
RayfordSteele, Sep 27 2002
  

       I was thinking more like a vending machine type operation. I was thinking that because [guarded] said //the chosen food item would be lowered into the blade's path; it would slice to your instructions (amount and slice thickness), drop into a sealable bag,//
half, Sep 27 2002
  

       guarded: Self-service businesses will only take up spaces in existing shops, or become supermarkets, operated by one mann. This only generates temporary jobs, and on permanent one. This isn't good for the community or the local economy.
[ sctld ], Sep 27 2002
  

       (part 1 slightly off-topic): this being my first day on the site, i'm wondering why idea generators have the option of deleting comments made about their ideas. i can only imagine it's to save face in the halfbakery community, but that can't be, can it? is there a good reason staring me in the face that i just can't see?   

       [mr. steele]: i'm a devout germaphobe and would never put forth an idea that includes a stranger sans latex gloves touching my meat or cheese.   

       [sctld]: point well taken. i'm a bit idealistic and hope we can generate some new, better jobs for those stuck slicing meat and pumping gas. maybe i underestimate the class system's staying power.
guarded, Sep 27 2002
  

       I think the deletes there for better self-moderation. If the creator feels that a comment is rascist or hateful, then he may delete it without getting our wonderful cult leader (jutta) involved.   

       I must admit i'm a bit of an idealist as well, mainly because of my political ideaology (Liberal Socialist).
[ sctld ], Sep 27 2002
  

       [self]: /touching my meat or cheese./ [titter] a bit forward for my first time out...my apologies.   

       now i see the self-moderating function, and i certainly see its value.   

       i like the concept of self-serve machinery allowing smaller businesses to compete more closely with the larger conglomerates, half. maybe it could be done american ATM style: you swipe a frequent-buyer card, enter a vestibule, then engage the machine. it could be 24-hour access!
guarded, Sep 27 2002
  

       See, frequent buyer cards are evil as well. Its less evil than supermarkets, but its evil still the same. It sacrifices quality in exchange for loyalty and ten pence of beans at teh end of the month.
[ sctld ], Sep 27 2002
  

       //frequent buyer cards are evil//
So I should burn that "buy ten coffees and get one free" card that's in my wife's purse?
  

       Evil...evil...evil...
[ sctld ], are you a speech writer for President Bush?
half, Sep 27 2002
  

       i *knew* i'd heard the phrase "ten pence of beans" before! you ARE a bush speech writer! fine, it doesn't have to be a frequent-buyer card--i spoke too quickly (damnable enthusiasm will get me in trouble around here, must curb my typestorming tendancies). what if it just had an access code? they could track the hours of heaviest use, or see if it's worth their money to even have it. but of course, this would allow them to figure out if you, [sctld], had been buying havarti lately, and i'm sure you'd rather die than give them access to that information [good-natured wink]
guarded, Sep 27 2002
  

       and explain, please, how a frequent buyer card = lower quality, [sctld]. my 11th and free coffee will be watery?
guarded, Sep 27 2002
  

       Lets say, Product A is a loyalty product. You buy enough of it, you get more. To compensate for this, the manufacturer uses poorer quality ingredients and so can afford to give extra away. Product B is not a loyalty product, however, it does have superior quality in relation to Product A.   

       Product B's sales start to decline, when people see that Product A offers a loyalty bonus. To combat this, Product B has two choices. They either reduce their price, (thus having to reduce the quality of their goods), or they offer a loyalty scheme like Product A, (again resulting in a loss of quality).   

       Whichever way they go, it ends up in a loss of quality for the consumer, and could result in many quality products being discontinued due to companies going bankrupt, all because of loyalty cards.   

       You shouldn't need an access code, just money. You program in your choice, and it asks for the correct amount of money for your three slices of corned beef.   

       And if i was a Bush speech writer, he would be saying some very different things.
[ sctld ], Sep 28 2002
  

       I don't mind the general public handling food, they're cleaner than I am.
pfperry, Sep 28 2002
  

       Another problem with ATM style loyalty cards is that criminals will wait behind you to steal your goods!
egbert, Sep 30 2002
  

       (egbert) ... not if you get pickle on your deli sandwich. It's a known fact* that all criminals are allergic to gherkins, cornichons and most other members of the cucumber family.




*known only by me.
lewisgirl, Sep 30 2002
  

       ( lewisgirl ) Do they get Deli belly?
egbert, Sep 30 2002
  

       //And if i was a Bush speech writer, he would be saying some very different things// - that depends on whether you think he can actually read them!
PeterSilly, Sep 30 2002
  

       The man who mistook his keyboard for a hat.
bristolz, Sep 30 2002
  

       I think I'm a criminal.
kaz, Sep 30 2002
  

       If they get away with it, is that known as a marrow escape?
egbert, Oct 01 2002
  

       €º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€ø,¸¸,ø€º°`°º€

Portrait of sliced meats gone haywire
thumbwax, Oct 01 2002
  

       How long did you spend doing that?!   

       Excellent.
sild, Oct 01 2002
  

       Couple o' seconds (Copy/Pasted that one)
thumbwax, Oct 01 2002
  

       Lets say, Product A is a loyalty product. You buy enough of it, you get more. To compensate for this, the manufacturer raises the price per unit and so can afford to give extra away. Product B is not a loyalty product, however, it does have lower price per unit in relation to Product A.   

       Product B's sales start to decline, when people see that Product A offers a loyalty bonus. To combat this, Product B has two choices. They either reduce their quality, (thus allowing them to reduce the price of their goods), or they offer a loyalty scheme like Product A, (again resulting in an increase in cost to the consumer).   

       Whichever way they go, it ends up in a confusing mess for the consumer, and could result in many quality products being discontinued due to companies going bankrupt, all because of loyalty cards.
phoenix, Oct 02 2002
  

       // Whichever way they go, it ends up in a confusing mess for the consumer, and could result in many quality products being discontinued due to companies going bankrupt, all because of loyalty cards //   

       <irony> "The problem with a democracy is that the people get what they want......." </irony>
8th of 7, Oct 03 2002
  

       Is this anything like buying presliced, prepackaged cold cuts in the refrigerated section of the local supermarket, and getting "frequent flier" miles for using my MegaBank debit card?
whlanteigne, Jun 06 2003
  

       touching meat and cheese oo err!"£$%^&*()
tonandali, Jul 29 2003
  

       (to any friends/relatives reading this: *big* xmas/birthday hint here)
They make home versions of meat/cheese slicers.
FlyingToaster, Mar 03 2009
  


 

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